The Lord Chancellor

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have consulted about their proposals to abolish the office of Lord Chancellor and the judicial functions of the House of Lords and the functions of the House of Lords; and if so; with whom.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: A consultation paper Constitutional Reform: a Supreme Court for the United Kingdom was published on 14 July. Consultation will run until 7 November. A Select Committee of the House of Lords will consider the future of Speakership of the House of Lords. I will be publishing a consultation document in September setting out the issues to be addressed in relation to the roles of the Lord Chancellor that do not relate to the Speakership, his functions as departmental Minister or his judicial capacity.

The Lord Chancellor

Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 8 July (WA 21), whether they will list individually the "wide range of powers, duties and privileges which have been conferred over time" on the Lord Chancellor and the means by which each can be alienated from the holder of that office.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I will be publishing a consultation document on the office of Lord Chancellor in September which is intended to address such issues.

The Lord Chancellor

Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 8 July (WA 21), whether, if the word "important" were deleted from the sentence "None of the important powers, duties or privileges of the Lord Chancellor has been alienated since 30 January", the statement would still be true.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: None of the powers, duties and privileges of the Lord Chancellor has been alienated since 30 January. However, there has been a minor transfer from the Lord Chancellor to Scottish Ministers of the commencement of certain provisions which amend the Taxes Management Act 1970 as regards Scotland. In addition, a transfer of functions order under the Ministers of the Crown Act was made at the Privy Council meeting on 17 July. This order transfers from the Lord Chancellor to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs certain of the Lord Chancellor's principal ministerial responsibilities. It will come into force next month.

Civil and Criminal Justice: Ministerial Responsibility

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 7 July (WA 1), why it is more appropriate to keep responsibility for the content of the criminal law with the Home Secretary rather than with a Minister of Justice with responsibility for the whole of English law, criminal as well as civil.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: No one department of state, or Secretary of State for that matter, could ever sensibly have responsibility for the whole of English law. In relation to the criminal law, we believe it is more appropriate that one ministry, the Home Office, should be responsible and have as its primary focus the criminal law, fighting crime and responsibility for the police. It provides a firm base for the criminal justice system and that, together with the joint working between the Home Office, my department and that of my noble and learned friend the Attorney-General, will deliver real improvements in bringing the guilty to justice quicker and in public confidence in the system.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they are taking to assist in the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in areas of conflict.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UK was a driving force behind the adoption of Resolution 1325 in October 2000 and maintains an active and positive approach towards its implementation both in London and through the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York. The UK used its presidency of the UN Security Council in July 2002 to host an open debate on UNSCR 1325, led by the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations, with the participation of the UN Special Adviser on Gender, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the UN Department for Political Affairs.
	The UK is committed to ensuring the participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution, including peace negotiations, as well as to raising awareness of the positive role that women can play in peace building and reconciliation.
	The Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) continues to work and fund projects with the UN's Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO) and others on gender training for peace keepers.
	The UK helped UNIFEM to put together a programme of work on women, peace building and gender justice and has pledged £3m towards that work. This ambitious programme, now in its second year, aims to increase women's participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict justice mechanisms. With our support, UNIFEM has published an independent assessment of how women are affected by armed conflict.
	In Iraq the UK is committed to including women in all phases and at all levels in the reconstruction. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister's special representative and his team in Baghdad are working closely with Ambassador Bremer and officials in the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to increase the representation of women in all strands of the rapidly evolving political and reconstruction process, such as the governing and economic councils. In addition we have seconded a gender expert from the government's Women and Equality Unit to the CPA's gender equality team and an FCO official in the CPA's governance team, who have been engaged in the involvement of women in the political process. The CPA has also facilitated an Iraqi-led women's conference consisting of five workshops, the recommendations from which will feed into the political process.
	We will continue to seek opportunities to further the implementation of Resolution 1325 in areas of conflict.

Indonesia

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What information they have received from (a) the Indonesian authorities and (b) non-governmental organisations, about the number of civilians missing and killed in Aceh since the introduction of martial law on 19 May; and what additional steps they will now take, in conjunction with the United Kingdom's partners in the European Union and the United Nations Security Council, for the restoration of the cessation of hostilities and a resumption of negotiations for a political solution of the problem of the territory's constitutional status.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Indonesian authorities reported on 8 July that 325 members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) had been killed by the Indonesian armed forces since the introduction of martial law in May. However, we are aware of reports from the media and NGO's about attacks on villages by the army that have resulted in civilian deaths. Kontras, an independent Indonesian NGO has provided unconfirmed statistics that 176 civilians were killed and 15 went missing between the introduction of martial law on 19 May and 18 June. KOMNASHAM, the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission, is investigating allegations of civilian deaths. Our embassy in Jakarta is monitoring the situation, but restrictions on travel to Aceh make it impossible to verify casualty figures.
	On 20 May, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary issued a joint statement with the Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, calling on the Indonesian armed forces to ensure full respect for human rights and to show maximum restraint while they carry out operations in Aceh. This was reinforced by my honourable friend the Minister of State at the FCO (Mike O'Brien) during his visit to Indonesia from 3 to 4 June, when he discussed Aceh with President Megawati and other senior members of the Indonesian Government. He raised the issue of civilian deaths and stressed that the Indonesian armed forces must respect human rights and act in accordance with international law in Aceh. He also urged the Indonesian Government to resume negotiations as soon as possible, stressing that military action alone would not resolve the problems in Aceh; only political negotiation could offer a long-term solution. We will continue to raise this with the Indonesian Government, both bilaterally and with others including our EU partners, Japan, the US and the World Bank.

Congo: MONUC

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they agree with the proposal by the United Nations Secretary-General that the strength of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) should be increased to 11,000 troops, and that an arms embargo be imposed on Ituri and the Kivus; and why the mandate of MONUC was extended only to 30 July, when the Secretary-General had asked for it to continue until June 2004.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: In his second special report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) the Secretary-General recommended an increase in the MONUC troop ceiling to 10,800 from the present level of 8,700. We support this increase to enable troops in sufficient numbers to be deployed in Ituri. We are presently pushing, in the Security Council, for agreement to the increase.
	We are supporting the imposition of an arms embargo on Ituri and the Kivus. This should give the necessary political leverage to act against regional states, such as Rwanda and Uganda, and to act against the DRC Government if they arm rebel groups in the region where the worst atrocities have been taking place.
	The present MONUC mandate expired on 30 June 2003. There was insufficient time for detailed consultations on the new mandate giving Chapter VII powers to MONUC, the increase in troop ceiling plus the implementation of an arms embargo. It was therefore agreed that there would be a technical rollover until 30 July when a new resolution should be adopted including all of the desired measures. This new mandate will continue until June 2004.

Hong Kong Legislative Council

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will take action to secure a timetable whereby the Hong Kong Legislative Council would move first to popular election of a majority of Members and then to full election.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Annex II, part I of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) sets out the "Method for the formation of the Legislative Council." Currently, in its second term since the handover, the Legislative Council is formed of 30 Members returned by functional constituencies, six Members by an Election Committee and 24 Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections.
	In the third term, starting in 2004, the system will change so that 30 Members will be returned by functional constituencies and 30 Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections.
	Article 68 of the Basic Law states: "the method for forming the Legislative Council shall be specified in the light of the actual situation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and in accordance with the principle of gradual and orderly progress. The ultimate aim is the election of all the members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage." Annexes I and II of the Basic Law set out the conditions for amending the methods by which the chief executive is selected for the terms subsequent to 2007 and the Legislative Council is formed after 2007 respectively.
	We regularly express to the SAR Government our hope that Hong Kong will make early progress towards the Basic Law's ultimate aims of the election of not only all Members of the Legislative Council, but also the office of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage.

Guantanamo Bay: British Detainees

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have requested the United States Government to transfer the British citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay into British custody; if so, what was the United States reply; what reasons were given for it; and, if Her Majesty's Government has not made such a request, why not.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are pressing the US authorities to move forward with the process of determining the future of the British detainees at Guantanamo Bay. We have discussed, and are discussing, a range of options with the US, including the possibility of repatriation.

Guantanamo Bay: British Detainees

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will seek to ensure that British citizens detained by the United States are not tried before special military tribunals.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We have expressed our strong reservations about the military commissions. As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister said during Questions on 9 July (Official Report, Commons; col. 1152–3), "Any commission or tribunal . . . must be conducted in accordance with the proper canons of law so that a fair trial takes place and is seen to take place."

Guantanamo Bay: British Detainees

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will obtain and publish, in relation to the British citizens facing the possibility of trials before military commissions in Guantanamo, copies of:
	(a) President Bush's Military Order of November 2001 authorising trials outside the normal federal and military courts;
	(b) the Military Commission Order of March 2002;
	(c) the eight Military Commission Instructions issued by the United States Defense Department on 30 April 2003; and
	(d) the Defense Department's announcement made in May 2003 of the appointment of officials who will administer the Military Commissions; and
	Whether it is the case that, under the rules published by the United States government for the trial by Military Commissions of British citizens and others held at Guantanamo:
	(a) the Military Commissions' structure and composition will be under the complete control of the President with no appeal to any civil court;
	(b) the jurisdiction of the Military Commissions will cover areas not previously subject to military law or military courts;
	(c) Military Commission trials may take place wholly in secret; and
	(d) a guilty verdict for capital and other offences may be made by a two-thirds vote of commission members; and
	Whether it is the case that, under the rules published by the United States government for the trial by Military Commissions of British citizens and others held at Guantanamo:
	(a) defendants will be denied a legal remedy for violation of any procedural or other protections in the Military Commission Instructions that might benefit them;
	(b) Military Commission defendants may be represented without their consent by Military Commission lawyers assigned to them;
	(c) as regards civilian defence lawyers, unless a defendant or his family or friends can provide funding, civilian defence lawyers will have to pay for their own security clearance investigations and all personal and case-related expenses, and will largely be confined to the premises of Military Commission proceedings;
	(d) communications between defendants and their lawyers may be monitored by the Defense Department;
	(e) potentially exculpatory information may be withheld from military defence counsel if the prosecution does not intend to introduce such evidence at trial.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Order and Instructions relating to Military Commissions can be found on the US Department of Defense website, www.defenselink.mil.

Iraq: Copper Exports

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans there are to restrict the movement, sale and export of cuprous scrap within and from Iraq in order to reduce the looting and damage to publicly owned electrical installations.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Coalition Provisional Authority has prohibited the export of copper from Iraq. UK forces in Iraq carry out patrols to prevent looting from electrical installations and have destroyed illegal smelters used to melt copper for export. In all cases people suspected of looting are arrested and detained for theft. We are working to re-establish the Iraqi police force, which is a priority for the coalition in restoring law and order.

Iraq: Oil for Food Programme

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they can confirm that 4 billion US dollars arising from the oil-for-food programme and earmarked for the benefit of the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Iraq is now held in a United Nations-controlled French bank account; and, if this is true or partly true, whether they will seek the immediate release of the money for the purpose for which it is intended.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Under the Oil for Food programme set up by UN Security Council Resolution 986 (1995) Iraqi oil revenues were divided between the North of Iraq (13 per cent), the South and Centre of Iraq (59 per cent), the United Nations Compensation Commission (25 per cent), UNMOVIC's operating costs (0.8 per cent) and the Oil for Food Programme's operating costs (2.2 per cent). The revenues spent in North and South/Central Iraq were held in separate accounts. The funds in the Northern account were spent by the United Nations while the funds in the South and Centre account were spent by the Iraqi Government. This was done so that the oil revenue from the whole of Iraq was spent on the whole of Iraq. Had the funds not been divided in this way, Saddam Hussein would have systematically discriminated against the Kurds in the north. The need to keep the two accounts separate disappeared when Saddam Hussein fell. The two accounts were consolidated by UN Security Council Resolution 1483 so that oil revenues from the whole of Iraq could best be spent on the whole of Iraq.
	The consolidated Oil for Food account is held by the French-owned BNP bank and controlled by the UN Treasury. The funds are being spent on Iraq-wide humanitarian contracts that are being assessed according to their utility by the UN and the Coalition Provisonal Authority with Iraqi involvement.
	Before the conflict began there were 1.534 billion US dollars of unencumbered funds in the Northern account.

Iraq: Turkish Military Presence

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have reason to believe that elements of Turkish military forces, other than the men arrested in Sulaimaniya and since released, are still in Northern Iraq; and, if so, whether they will seek their immediate removal, whether through NATO or otherwise.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Turkey maintains a military presence in Northern Iraq. We and the US continue to urge restraint on Turkey to ensure that all Turkish military activity in Iraq is properly co-ordinated with the coalition, in line with our shared objective of creating conditions for a stable and peaceful Iraq.

Gulf War: Missing Kuwaiti Nationals

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they can confirm reports of the whereabouts of Kuwaiti prisoners of war and other persons missing since the Gulf War; and what action they are taking.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We regret that not one of the 605 Kuwaitis missing after the Gulf War has so far been found alive. The UN envoy, Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, reported recently that a number of remains at a recently discovered mass grave site at Samarra in Iraq were believed to be missing Kuwaiti nationals. The Government of Kuwait have confimed the remains of one missing national. The Tripartite Committee established after the invasion of Kuwait, under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has begun to investigate mass graves in Iraq. The coalition has so far received reports of more than 50 mass grave sites and we believe there may be more than 80. The UK sent a team of forensic experts to Iraq who have made recommendations on the treatment of mass graves, including identification programmes. The Coalition Provisional Authority has set up an Office of Human Rights and Transitional Justice which will put these recommendations into effect.

Middle East: Reconstruction of Palestinian Property and Infrastructure

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Under the terms of the road map, what share of the cost of reconstruction of Palestinian property and infrastructure demolished by Israel defence forces will be borne by the government of Israel.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The road map does not require the Israeli Government to contribute to the cost of rebuilding Palestinian property and infrastructure. Nevertheless, the 4th Geneva Convention prohibits the destruction of property except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations. We continue to press Israel to end the disproportionate use of force, demolitions and destruction of infrastructure.

Passport Fees

Baroness Massey of Darwen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to increase passport fees.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Privy Council late yesterday made an order, the Consular Fees Order 2003, which will increase passport fees with effect from 2 October 2003. Full details are set out in the order, which will be made on 29 July.
	The fee for a passport applied for by post or through the UK Passport Service's high street partners will increase from £33 to £42 for a standard 32-page passport, and from £19 to £25 for a passport for a child.
	The fee for a passport applied for through the guaranteed one-week fast-track service will increase from £63 to £70 for a standard 32-page passport, and from £49 to £60 for a passport for a child.
	The fee for a passport applied for through the guaranteed same-day premium service (available only for passport renewals) will increase from £78 to £89 for a standard 32-page passport, and from £64 to £71 for a passport for a child.
	A new fast-track collect service will be made available for those using the fast-track service to opt to collect their passport from a passport office instead of having it posted. This involves the higher costs of production at a passport office instead of the central printing press where the majority of passports are produced, which will be reflected in higher fees.
	The order will also increase fees for applications made overseas to British consular posts. The fee for a standard 32-page passport will increase from £54.50 to £56.50 and the fee for a child passport will increase from £34.70 to £36.50.
	In the UK there will no longer be a separate fee for amending passports. Where a person wishes to amend the personal details shown, a new 10-year passport will be issued. British consular posts overseas will continue to offer an amendment service if requested.
	From early 2004, at the majority of British consular posts overseas, a new temporary passport costing £45.60 and valid for up to 12 months and for multiple journeys will be available to travellers who have lost their passports or had them stolen, and need to continue their journey quickly. The target turn round time for issue of a standard passport is five days.
	Fees for 48-page passports will also be increased, but collective passport fees for organised school trips will not change.
	The average increase in UK passport fees is £8.71. This is a substantial increase made necessary by several factors. Most importantly, it allows investment in the security and integrity of British passports, and improvement in customer service, to continue. Susbtantial work is in hand in the following key areas:
	Introduction of biometrics in passports—this is necessary to improve security, meet new International Civil Aviation Organisation standards and allow continued UK participation in the US visa waiver programme.
	Addressing problems associated with passports lost, stolen and lost in the post—initiatives include a new database to allow better control and sharing of information on missing passports, tighter procedures for replacing missing passports, developing arrangments to send all new passports by secure delivery methods.
	Identity confirmation—initiatives include creating a single database for British passports issued in the UK and at all British consular posts overseas and trials of identity checking through a range of public and private sector databases.
	Fraud detection and prevention—new fraud investigation units have been established in passport offices, staff training is being enhanced, analysis of management information is being improved and an exhaustive check on past applications to detect trends is being undertaken.
	Customer service—substantial improvements in the electronic application route are being developed, call handling arrangements are being improved, and the Liverpool passport office is moving to new premises with better public facilities.
	The increase is also needed to meet an obligation to repay previously accrued deficits to HM Treasury by October 2004, currently amounting to £26m. The Passport Service has found savings of £10m from its current budget in order to deliver efficiency savings and constrain the level of fee increases while pursuing the UKPS fraud prevention programme.

Human Rights Instruments: Interdepartmental Review

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to publish the results of the interdepartmental review of human rights instruments before the autumn.

Lord Filkin: We will report the outcome of the review as soon as reasonably possible.

Speed Cameras

Lord Palmer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the annual revenue from speed cameras in the United Kingdom; and who receives this revenue.

Lord Filkin: The available information relates to England and Wales and only to those cameras covered by the special scheme introduced in April 2002, to facilitate investment in safety cameras. In 2002–03, revenue from these cameras was £73 million.
	Revenues are initially collected by the magistrates' courts. Part is transferred to the Department for Transport to cover the assessed costs of operating the scheme. Of the £73 million, approximately £66 million was transferred to the Department for Transport for distribution to various partnerships of the scheme in England and Wales and approximately £7 million was paid to the Consolidated Fund.

Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967: Issue of Certificate

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	As regards the investigation by the ombudsman into complaint A33/02 (under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information) concerning the denial of information about the development of policy leading up to the Human Rights Act 1998, what were the reasons for the issue of a certificate by the Cabinet Secretary under the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 preventing the ombudsman having access to the information in suitably redacted form relating references to the views of particular Ministers or of Ministers collectively, so as to enable the ombudsman to complete her investigation into the complaint.

Lord Filkin: The certificate was issued to protect the confidentiality of the Cabinet process. Section 8(4) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 explicitly recognises this.

Iraq: Prisoners Captured by British Forces

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 30 June (WA 63), whether they will list the countries and the number of nationals from countries other than Iraq.

Lord Bach: A total of 28 prisoners of war from countries other than Iraq were captured by United Kingdom forces in Iraq as follows:
	
		
			 Countries Number 
			 Algerian 2 
			 French 2 
			 Jordanian 10 
			 Sudanese 2 
			 Syrian 12

Defence Medical Services: Golden Hello

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What further response there has been to the initiative for the recruitment of consultants of a £50,000 "golden hello" into the Defence Medical Services, introduced on 19 November 2002, since preliminary figures were disclosed on 12 February.

Lord Bach: As at 14 July 2003, three vocationally trained general medical practitioners (GMPs) and two consultants had joined the Defence Medical Services (DMS) under the "golden hello" scheme. In addition, 14 vocationally trained GMPs and four consultants have been accepted into the DMS, but have not yet joined their service, and 10 GMPs and three consultants are awaiting selection interviews.

Procurement Compliance: Equality Outcomes

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they monitor the equality outcomes of any procurement compliance policies and practices of approved contractors and suppliers; and, if so, what benefits they can point to.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Reference to the contractor's obligations under the Race Relations Act is included in model government contract conditions. Equality issues can also be taken into account in specifications and in selecting contractors where relevant to the subject matter of the contract and consistent with EC procurement rules. Responsibility for approving contractors and for monitoring performance, including any obligations relating to equality, rests with the relevant departmental accounting officer or officers. The Government are committed to equality in all their activities and the Office of Government Commerce and the DTI's Small Business Service have recently launched two procurement pilots. One is based in the West Midlands region and one in Haringey, north London. The aim of the pilots is to ensure that SMEs have easier access to government contracts and to bring the benefits of greater competition to ethnic minority-owned businesses.

Economic Inactivity and Unemployment Rates

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are (a) in descending order and (b) by region or nation of the United Kingdom, the 100 parliamentary constituencies with the highest economic inactivity rates of working age people for the 12-month period ending February 2002, showing the percentage rate of economic inactivity and the corresponding rate for the 12-month period ending February 1997 in each case; and
	What, in descending order, are the 100 parliamentary constituencies with the highest increase, and measured by number of percentage points, in economic inactivity rates of working age people between the 12-month period ending February 1997 and the 12-month period ending February 2002, giving the actual rates for each constituency in both periods; and
	What are (a) in descending order and (b) by region or nation of the United Kingdom, the 100 parliamentary constituencies with the highest economic inactivity rates of working age men for the 12-month period ending February 2002, showing the percentage rate of economic inactivity and the corresponding rate for the 12-month period ending February 1997 in each case; and
	What are (a) in descending order and (b) by region or nation of the United Kingdom, the 100 parliamentary constituencies with the highest economic inactivity rates of working age women for the 12-month period ending February 2002, showing the percentage rate of economic inactivity and the corresponding rate for the 12-month period ending February 1997 in each case; and
	What were the percentage rates of (a) economic inactivity and (b) unemployment for each of the regions and nations of the United Kingdom for the 12-month period ending February 2002 and the 12-month period ending February 1997; and
	What are (a) in descending order and (b) by region or nation of the United Kingdom, the 100 parliamentary constituencies with the lowest economic inactivity rates of working age people for the 12-month period ending February 2002, showing the percentage rate of economic inactivity and the corresponding rate for the 12-month period ending February 1997 in each case.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated 18 July 2003.
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions about economic inactivity and unemployment rates. (HL3998, 3999, 4000, 4001, 4002 and 4003)
	The information required to answer these questions is not readily to hand and will require extensive analysis. Unfortunately, we are unable to supply this in the time available. The necessary work is being carried out as a matter of urgency and I will send the completed answers to you as soon as they are available.
	In the meantime, please accept my apologies for this delay.

University Students

Lord Quirk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of undergraduate students at:
	(i) Oxford and Cambridge; and (ii) The "Russell Group" of universities came from each of the following in England and Wales: (a) comprehensive schools; (b) secondary modern schools; (c) grammar schools; (d) independent schools; (e) sixth-form colleges; and (f) further education colleges.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The information is not readily available. I will write to the noble Lord when the information is at hand and will place a copy in the House Library.

Russian GCSE and A-level

Lord Skidelsky: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many candidates sat examinations in Russian at GCSE and A-level respectively in each year since 1990.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The number of candidates who sat examinations in Russian at GCSE and A-level each year since 1992 1 are as follows:
	
		Total Number of GCSE entries in Russian for 15 year-old pupils in England
		
			 Year Number 
			 1992 1,195 
			 1993 1,305 
			 1994 1,288 
			 1995 1,355 
			 1996 1,331 
			 1997 1,413 
			 1998 1,319 
			 1999 1,283 
			 2000 1,463 
			 2001 1,438 
			 2002 1,370 
		
	
	
		Total number of GCE A-level entries in Russian for candidates of all ages in England
		
			 Year Number 
			 1992 360 
			 1993 384 
			 1994 326 
			 1995 414 
			 1996 458 
			 1997 536 
			 1998 534 
			 1999 541 
			 2000 538 
			 2001 498 
			 2002 472 
		
	
	Prior to 1992 GCSE and A-level data were not collected as part of the performance tables exercise, and therefore the figures are not comparable for earlier years.

Biology Teachers

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Teacher Training Agency will take steps to ensure that all newly qualified biology teachers have sufficient training to enable them to deliver basic out-of-classroom teaching in biology and other scientific disciplines.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: As one of the statutory requirements to be met before qualified teacher status can be awarded, trainee secondary teachers must be able to demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of the subject they are trained to teach. They must also be able to demonstrate that they can plan opportunities for pupils to learn in out-of-school contexts, including school trips, museum visits, field-work and employment-based settings, with the help of other staff where appropriate.

Science Teaching: Fieldwork

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have plans to ask Ofsted to include the provision of science and biology fieldwork as one of the criteria by which it assesses the performance of schools.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: This is a matter for Ofsted. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, will write to the noble Baroness and place a copy of his letter in the Library.